You better bring in the ADA because there’s a new war occurring in America: the war against diabetes.

Now the American Diabetes Association isn’t going to bring the arsenal in and let loose, but the “Cold” War has just begun.

According to nutrition Professor Linda Vickers, diabetes has become a war and an epidemic all in one.

“Diabetes is such an epidemic, we need to wage war and fight back,” Vickers said.
“We need to find a cure.”

Vickers and nursing Professor Linda Loiselle discussed the crisis on Multicultural Day to a crowded room with students crowded around outside the door and sitting on the floor, listening on to how diabetes truly affects everyone.

The obesity epidemic, along with America’s poor diet and laziness, ultimately has contributed to the exponential growth with people diagnosed with diabetes.

Despite this, a shocking 6 million people are left untreated in the United States alone. Children as young as ten are being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes.

Causing health risks such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and even lower-extremity amputations, diabetes has become the new epidemic, being the 4th leading cause of death in the United States.

Loiselle emphasized that diabetes is a risk to us all, and poor diet, lack of exercise, and even hereditary factors can make one of us affected by a war created by society itself.

So what is the solution if there is no cure?

“Change your diet,” Loiselle said. “The best diet is to eat what you want to eat and less of it.”

Alisha Elder, 19, is a kinesiology major who is currently taking a nutrition class on the subject matter with Vickers. She has learned an overwhelming amount since joining the class.

“I was uninformed on what diabetes was,” Elder said. “I am definitely more self-conscious about what I eat now.”